After a gap stretching back more than ten years, Yorkshire’s official Blue Badge Tourist Guide course is running again, with organisers hunting for locals willing to trade a conventional career for one showing off the region’s history and landscapes to visitors.
Widely regarded as the top qualification in tourism guiding internationally, the course hasn’t run in Yorkshire since 2014. Would-be trainees from South and West Yorkshire are being particularly encouraged to put themselves forward, along with anyone who speaks a second language fluently, given the growing mix of overseas visitors the region now welcomes.
Sarah Cowling, Course Director and a Blue Badge Tour Guide herself, said: “Yorkshire has an extraordinary story to tell, but telling it well takes genuine craft. A great guide doesn’t just list facts – they make people laugh, see a familiar landscape differently, and give visitors a memory they’ll talk about for years. You don’t need a history degree to do this. We’re looking for personality, enthusiasm, and a deep love for the region.”
She added: “Being a Blue Badge Guide is one of the most varied jobs in the world – one day you’re taking a coach across the Dales, the next you’re leading a private tour through York Minster. We want this cohort to reflect Yorkshire itself: curious, full of history and welcoming.”
Historical study and business skills
Run through the British Guild of Tourist Guides, training combines practical work on both coach and walking tours with in-depth historical study and business skills, designed to help graduates go on to build freelance careers. Those completing the course pick up a York Green Badge partway through, around summer 2027, letting them start taking paid work before finishing the wider Yorkshire qualification.
No prior history background or guiding experience is required — organisers say what matters most is curiosity, commitment, strong communication skills and genuine enthusiasm for Yorkshire’s stories, with about ten hours of independent study expected weekly, alongside classroom time, field trips and hands-on training.
Teaching starts January 2027, and the application window shuts on Friday 9 October this year.
